Spurs-Nuggets Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMANPosted Feb 10 2010 2:34PM

The San Antonio Spurs haven't done a good job of taking advantage of teams playing without their stars on this road trip.

That's a luxury the Spurs won't have Thursday night when they take on Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets in the final NBA game before the All-Star break.

San Antonio (29-21) has not played like a title contender in splitting the first four games of this trip. The Spurs have beaten Sacramento and the Clippers and suffered losses to Portland and the Lakers.

What is especially troubling is that the Trail Blazers played without Brandon Roy and the Lakers were without Kobe Bryant as well as Andrew Bynum on Monday in their 101-89 victory.

"On this trip already we played Portland without Brandon Roy and didn't get it done," forward Richard Jefferson said. "Coach (Gregg Popovich) said it best: 'We're playing soft.' And that's starting with me. I haven't shot the ball well the last 10 or so games."

There was a chance that the Spurs may have caught a break and not seen Anthony for Denver (35-17). Anthony, though, returned after missing eight games with a sprained left ankle and scored 19 points in 30 minutes of a 127-91 rout of Dallas on Tuesday.

"The good thing is my first game back, I didn't have to do too much," Anthony said. "But the bad thing is, I already had been sitting out for two weeks. I wanted to play (more), but I'll take a 36-point win any day."

Denver beat San Antonio 103-89 without Anthony on Jan. 31, as Kenyon Martin had 27 points and 11 rebounds and Chauncey Billups added 25 points and 11 assists. This game could be even easier for the Nuggets since Anthony feels he is showing no ill effects from the ankle.

"I approached this game wanting to see what I could and couldn't do, and I found out I could do pretty much what I've been doing," said Anthony, who scored 34 in a 106-99 win over the Spurs on Dec. 5.

Anthony's 20.3 career scoring average against the Spurs, though, is his lowest versus any Western Conference opponent.

While Denver gained confidence in going 5-3 during its latest stretch without Anthony, San Antonio is looking for answers.

Jefferson, acquired to bolster an aging roster and seemingly in his prime at age 29, is averaging 12.1 points - his lowest since his rookie season in 2001-02. He's averaging 8.8 points on 33.8 percent shooting over the last eight games.

Point guard Tony Parker's 16.9 scoring average is his lowest in five seasons, and reserve Manu Ginobili's 13.3 is his worst in six seasons. In addition, the Spurs' 45.6 defensive field-goal percentage is their worst since Tim Duncan was drafted in 1997, upsetting the defensive-minded Popovich.

"He's going to keep pushing us and either we're going to do it, or we're not," Parker said. "Simple as that."

Denver has outrebounded San Antonio by an average of 7.5 in the two victories this season, with Martin averaging 12.0.

Martin, however, sat out Tuesday because of tendinitis in his left knee and his status is uncertain.

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Seven score in double figures as Spurs rout Nuggets

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.comPosted Friday February 12, 2010 2:39AM

DENVER (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Spurs have been mediocre for the last month, but Thursday they evoked memories of their NBA championship days.

Coming off a loss to the Lakers on Monday, San Antonio dominated the Nuggets in Denver, blowing out the No. 2 team in the Western Conference 111-92. It was a game of perseverance for the Spurs, who are in the midst of their annual rodeo road trip and are now 3-2 with four games to go on this 19-day trek away from home.

"We just wanted to get a great win before the break," said George Hill, who had 17 points. "We know this rodeo road trip is important to us, we need as many wins as we can and everyone stepped up."

They get a hiatus from the road trip, courtesy of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game. The Nuggets can also use the break after suffering their worst loss of the season. Kenyon Martin missed his second straight game with left knee patella tendonitis and several other players are nursing injuries. A week off will help them heal some for the final playoff push.

The Spurs could use some time off, too. Guard Tony Parker didn't dress because of a left hip flexor strain, but they didn't need him. With Hill stepping in, the Spurs offense didn't miss a beat. They shot 53 percent from the field and had seven guys in double figures, led by Hill and DeJuan Blair, who also had 17 points.

"That hasn't happened all year," said Roger Mason, who scored 14 points in his third start of the season. "That's the kind of production we need. With a team this deep it's what we're capable of."

Thursday, they made it look easy against a Nuggets team coming off a 36-point win against Dallas on Wednesday. The Spurs never trailed, and other than a quick Nuggets rally in the third quarter, they were never threatened.

San Antonio led 56-45 when Denver made a move. Nene, who led the Nuggets with 20 points, hit a 17-foot jumper and a layup sandwiched around Carmelo Anthony's 3-pointer to make it 56-52.

A quick timeout by coach Gregg Popovich ended that. Richard Jefferson hit a 3-pointer to spark a 9-1 run to get the lead back to double figures.

Popovich said he didn't give a big speech, he just settled his team down.

"[I told them] you're on the road, good teams make runs and this is where the mental toughness comes in," Popovich said. "Execution is of paramount importance. See if we can hang in there, score and get a couple of stops in a row. We went from four up to nine real quick. That was the ballgame right there, where we stood our ground, we executed and made our shots.

The Nuggets kept pushing but couldn't find a rhythm.

Down 72-60, Anthony stole the ball and fed J.R. Smith on the fast break. Smith missed the layup and then missed a 3-pointer after the Nuggets got the offensive rebound.

Moment's later Mason hit a 3-pointer to give the Spurs their biggest lead of the game.

The Nuggets kept trying to shoot their way out of a hole but they only hit 35 percent. Chauncey Billups, who will compete in the 3-point contest on All-Star Weekend, was 1-for-8 from long range.

"I think San Antonio was hungry," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "They kind of paid back the two wins we had in San Antonio."

A big reason for Denver's struggles was San Antonio's defense.

"That's one of maybe three or four games we played really well defensively in the first half of the season," Popovich said.

Now the Spurs will try to continue that play in the second half. They're a mere 11-10 since the calendar flipped to 2010, but in the past they've been a better team after the All-Star break. They're tied for fifth in the Western Conference but are only a game and a half behind Dallas for third.

"Every team is so close," Hill said.

A few more games like Thursday and San Antonio could overtake some teams in the standings.

"We've been struggling with our consistency," Mason said. "It lets us know how good we can be."